Judith 13

¹Now when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.

²And Judith was left along in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.

³Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to Bagoas according to the same purpose.

⁴So all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

⁵For now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute thine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.

⁶Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his fauchion from thence,

⁷And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.

⁸And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him.

⁹And tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth, and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;

¹⁰And she put it in her bag of meat: so they twain went together according to their custom unto prayer: and when they passed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.

¹¹Then said Judith afar off, to the watchmen at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to shew his power yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he hath even done this day.

¹²Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders of the city.

¹³And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was strange unto them that she was come: so they opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about them.

¹⁴Then she said to them with a loud voice, Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this night.

¹⁵So she took the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said unto them, behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie in his drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman.

¹⁶As the Lord liveth, who hath kept me in my way that I went, my countenance hath deceived him to his destruction, and yet hath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.

¹⁷Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed be thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people.

¹⁸Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth, which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies.

¹⁹For this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.

²⁰And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things because thou hast not spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So be it, so be it.

Judith 13

¹And when it was grown late, his servants made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors, and went his way.

²And they were all overcharged with wine.

³And Judith was alone in the chamber.

⁴But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.

⁵And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:

⁶And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,

⁷Saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by thee.

⁸And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at his bed's head, and loosed his sword that hung tied upon it.

⁹And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, at this hour.

¹⁰And she struck twice upon his neck, and cut off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body.

¹¹And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.

¹²And they two went out according to their custom, as it were to prayer, and they passed the camp, and having compassed the valley, they came to the gate of the city.

¹³And Judith from afar off cried to the watchmen upon the walls: Open the gates for God is with us, who hath shewn his power in Israel.

¹⁴And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.

¹⁵And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.

¹⁶And lighting up lights they all gathered round about her: and she went up to a higher place, and commanded silence to be made. And when all had held their peace,

¹⁷Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.

¹⁸And by me his handmaid he hath fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel: and he hath killed the enemy of his people by my hand this night.

¹⁹Then she brought forth the head of Holofernes out of the wallet, and shewed it them, saying: Behold the head of Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, wherein he lay in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God slew him by the hand of a woman.

²⁰But as the same Lord liveth, his angel hath been my keeper both going hence, and abiding there, and returning from thence hither: and the Lord hath not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but hath brought me back to you without pollution of sin, rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your deliverance.

²¹Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

²²And they all adored the Lord, and said to her: The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nought.

²³And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.

²⁴Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies.

²⁵Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.

²⁶And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

²⁷And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that he revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand.

²⁸And that thou mayst find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel: and threatened them with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword.

²⁹Then Achior seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away.

³⁰But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said:

³¹Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.